University of California, Irvine campus

Engineering

MS Software Engineering at University of California, Irvine

University of California, Irvine, United States

Programme overview

The MS is heavily research-oriented, for students with a computer science or related bachelor's degree who want deeper understanding of processes, tools and techniques for building dependable large-scale software.

Faculty: Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences  |  Department: Department of Informatics  |  Duration: 48 units; thesis defence by end of year two  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Location: Irvine, CA, United States

What you will study

Students take Software Engineering (SWE 211), five SWE electives, at least three quarters of individual study or thesis supervision, and complete an MS thesis with public defence. Coursework can be tailored toward computer science, data science, end-user or advanced software engineering topics.

Career pathways

The thesis suits students planning a PhD or research work in corporate or government laboratories.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

UC Irvine Graduate Division (all graduate programmes): bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited institution with minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. International applicants whose prior degree was not taught solely in English need TOEFL iBT 80 overall or IELTS 7 overall with no module below 6 (departments may set higher). GRE requirements are set by each programme; there is no minimum GRE score.

Requirements published at program group level.

Graduate applications are submitted online through the UCI graduate application portal; the non-refundable application fee is $135 for U.S. citizens and lawful U.S. permanent residents and $155 for all other applicants. Deadlines are set by each programme. GRE is required by some programmes only; TOEFL or IELTS English proficiency is required of graduate applicants unless waived.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.uci.edu/admissions/

Explore more study programmes

Engineering

BA Social Ecology

University of California, Irvine, United States

Degree
Bachelor's
Next intake
UCI operates on a quarter system (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters). First-year and transfer ap

Engineering

BS Aerospace Engineering

University of California, Irvine, United States

Degree
Bachelor's
Next intake
UCI operates on a quarter system (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters). First-year and transfer ap

Engineering

BS Applied Physics

University of California, Irvine, United States

Degree
Bachelor's
Next intake
UCI operates on a quarter system (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters). First-year and transfer ap

Engineering

BS Civil Engineering

University of California, Irvine, United States

Degree
Bachelor's
Next intake
UCI operates on a quarter system (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters). First-year and transfer ap

Engineering

BS Computer Engineering

University of California, Irvine, United States

Degree
Bachelor's
Next intake
UCI operates on a quarter system (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters). First-year and transfer ap

Engineering

BS Computer Science

University of California, Irvine, United States

Degree
Bachelor's
Next intake
UCI operates on a quarter system (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters). First-year and transfer ap

Engineering

BS Data Science

University of California, Irvine, United States

Degree
Bachelor's
Next intake
UCI operates on a quarter system (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters). First-year and transfer ap

View all study programmes →

Ready to start your study abroad journey?

Book a free consultation with our expert counsellors and take the first step towards your dream university.

Copyrights © 2026 StudyMapped. All rights reserved.